A quality improvement intervention simulation for reducing nuisance alarm’s effect on mental workload

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2026

Abstract

Alarm fatigue is a prevalent issue in the hospital setting that is caused by numerous non-actionable alarms that contribute to increased stress, desensitization and heavy workload in nurses. This study’s purpose was to use the Systems Engineering for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model to develop a simulation and test an alarm management intervention. 36 nurses participated in a simulation and were placed in either a control or intervention condition. The control condition matched the current PCU alarm system and the intervention condition contained improvement options. Participates updated fabricated patient records while responding to alarms that occurred at intervals within the 30-minute trial. Participants completed surveys before and after to assess their physiological and physical conditions before and after. The results show that the intervention condition yielded 62% higher alarm update number and accuracy and higher accuracy with alarms with an average 37% increase. Physiological factors improved as well with emotional stress, frustration, and confusion decreased by 23%, 42%, and 31% respectively. The findings suggest a correlation between the intervention design and improved work performance and decreased fatigue symptoms. The SEIPS method for designing a physical simulation is also applicable to similar alarm management problems. Future studies will need to examine the iterative nature of the studies and create future sustainability plans.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Iise Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering

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